UNIST was founded in 2007 in the Korean industrial capital of Ulsan, where world-renown industries in automotive, shipbuilding, petrochemical, and secondary cells are clustered. A new turning point for the growth of our university was realized this year with both the government-backed specialization plan for four science and technology universities and its decision to participate in the National Science Business Belt project.

Striving towards its goal of being ranked a Top 10 science and engineering university globally by 2030 through its focus on creativity, the convergence of scientific fields and an outstanding educational statutes and research, UNIST has already demonstrated its competitiveness in Korea, and its international recognition also is being elevated day after day.

With a strong emphasis on research, many of UNIST’s professors and their laboratories have published in the top scientific journals, including Nature, Science, and Cell.

UNIST not only encourages the pursuit of scientific discovery but also the practical application of this knowledge. For instance, cathodic materials commonly found within secondary cells are now being developed here at UNIST, off-setting Korean import costs by as much as 100 million USD annually.

Furthermore, UNIST has recently established two research centers focusing on revolutionary ideas and research. The first, the Hans Scholer Stem Cell Research Center, was established jointly with the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine. This center is striving to advance stem cell research as well as their eventual application to medical issues. The second center, the Graphene Research Center, has the 2010 Nobel Laureate in Physics, Dr. Novoselov from Manchester University in the UK, as its honorary director. This center is investigating the nature of graphene and its derivatives on the atomic scale and exploring avenues where this “dream material” can be applied.

To ensure UNIST’s standing among the best universities, UNIST boasts 100% English lectures, and is currently the only university in Korea that can make this claim. The application of foreign students from more than 30 countries is increasing year after year and the students of Michigan University, one of the top 3 state universities, have completed the year’s summer session at UNIST, which shows the synergy effect in the international interchange as well.